demography

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US Births Down for 4th Year
 US Births Down for 4th Year 

US Births Down for 4th Year

Birth rate plummets among teens, Hispanics

(Newser) - The American birth rate dropped for the fourth year in a row in 2011 in a trend demographers blame on the continued weakness of the economy, reports the AP . But the drop was 1% instead of the 2% or 3% seen in previous years, a sign that the economy may...

Minority Babies the New Majority
 Minority Babies 
 the New Majority 

CENSUS DATA

Minority Babies the New Majority

Census reveals demographic watershed moment

(Newser) - For the first time in US history, a majority of babies are members of minority ethnic groups, according to new census figures. Of the roughly 4 million born between July 2010 and July 2011, 50.4% belonged to minority groups. The data show that the huge demographic shift under way...

Minorities Now Majority in 8 Metro Areas

One demographer calls the change 'pivotal'

(Newser) - In eight metropolitan areas including Washington, DC, New York, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Memphis, minorities now make up the majority of the population, according to census data. Over the past decade, non-Hispanic whites have become the minority in 22 of the 100 largest urban areas in the US, the...

Rural Share of US Population Hits Record Low

84% of Americans now live in cities or suburbs

(Newser) - Small-town and rural America is fading away as the US becomes a nation of suburbanites and city dwellers, according to the latest census figures. The share of Americans who live in rural areas—including towns with fewer than 50,000 people that are out of commuting range of metropolitan areas—...

White Babies Now a Minority in US
 White Babies 
 Now a Minority in US 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

White Babies Now a Minority in US

Minority infants now the majority: preliminary census data

(Newser) - Minority babies now outnumber white infants in the US, preliminary Census estimates show, a finding that indicates racial and ethnic minorities will become the nation's majority by the middle of the century. Just under half of all children under 3 are non-Hispanic whites, down from more than 60% in...

Americans Having Fewer Kids
 Americans Having Fewer Kids 

Americans Having Fewer Kids

Households with dogs outnumber those with kids

(Newser) - Maybe we should call this the Baby Bust. Census data indicates that America’s love affair with children is waning, with the percentage of the population that’s under age 18 falling in 95% of counties between 2000 and 2010, USA Today reports. There are now more households with dogs...

Obama Only Marked Black on Census—Unfortunately

It could have been 'historic teaching moment,' writes Gregory Rodriguez

(Newser) - When Barack Obama sat down to fill out his census form, he checked off one race: black. And as one of the most famous mixed-race people in the world, "he missed an opportunity," writes Gregory Rodriguez for the Los Angeles Times . In the 20th century, the idea of...

China Faces 'Dangerous' Bride Shortage

One-child policy blamed for bachelor surplus

(Newser) - Some 24 million Chinese men of marrying age will be unable to find a bride by the end of this decade because of the country's one-child policy, according to a Chinese government report. The policy has resulted in a surge in sex-selective abortions since the '80s, especially in rural areas,...

Big Families Win Wars
Big Families
Win Wars

Big Families Win Wars

Professor links countries' military strength to number of 'superfluous sons'

(Newser) - A nation’s military strength may be rooted in its average family size, says a popular German professor, putting Islamic countries in a good position, America on neutral ground, and Europe in dire straits. Bigger families mean “more superfluous sons to burn on the battlefield,” argues Gunnar Heinsohn....

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